Daniel Ricciardo has incurred a five-place grid penalty ahead of today’s Australian Grand Prix after his Red Bull team were forced to undergo a gearbox change.
The Australian had qualified 10th for this afternoon’s race after crashing out in Q3 on Saturday before setting a timed lap.
However, the damage to his RB13 from the impact has forced the team to replace the gearbox which will see Ricciardo issued a penalty that will drop him back to 15th on the grid.
Formula 1 sporting regulations only permit a change of gearboxes without penalty after six consecutive races.
The decision will leave the four-time grand prix winner desperately searching for some good fortune or the introduction of a Safety Car to claim a strong result on home soil.
Today’s Australian Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 1600 local time.
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